The present invention relates to an armrest for a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to an armrest that is integral to a seatback and slidable from a stowed position to a use position and visa-versa.
Vehicle armrests have been fabricated in a variety of forms to accommodate various seat structures and configurations present in modem automobiles, such as rear bench seats. Present conventional armrests mounted in the rear seat of an automobile deploy from the stowed position to the use position by rotating about a fixed pivot in the seat structure. The stowed position is typically a generally vertical position with the armrest fitted into the seat back to form a flush seatback surface and the use position is typically a generally horizontal position at approximately the elbow height for a user. In operation, a conventional rotatable armrest will be rotated by the user from the stowed position to the use position.
One disadvantage with conventional rotatable armrests is that they are generally difficult to install and mechanically intricate, as they require numerous fittings to be attached to the seat back frame. In this regard, rotatable armrests require that a pivot point be installed in the frame of the seat and that both the top and bottom surfaces be trimmed with cover material. These additional fittings and trim material cause the installation of a rotatable armrest to be highly complex.
Furthermore, present rotatable armrests are not ergonomically friendly, as they require the user to first move his or her arm and then to rotate the armrest from its generally vertical stowed position to its generally horizontal use position. This action is time consuming and may also be difficult or awkward for less dexterous individuals to execute.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ergonomically deployed armrest assembly that is easily installed into a standard vehicle seat which does not suffer from the above mentioned disadvantages.